Following are links to 101 media and marketing stories and posts from around the world that I Tweeted about in January 2009. They may be of interest to you. Just scanning the headlines gives you an overview of the industry.

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Commercial radio was once the loudest local voice in media. Here in Newcastle there was a time when radio was the best medium for the latest news, talk and sport, especially when Australia’s second oldest station, 2HD was at its strongest. You could hear everything broadcast locally 24 hours a day.

No longer.

Recent programming changes on 2HD mean that live and local on what was once known as Newcastle’s home of news, talk and sport barely exists.

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Following on from our joint effort promoting The Moggy Awards, Kate and the team at Marketing Magazine have been kind enough to invite me to write for them this year. My first article was featured on their website this week and is a topic very close to my heart as the owner of an advertising agency:

What will agencies do when everyone can bypass advertising?

Please take the time to have a read and leave a comment if you like.

Thanks

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I fear I will sound as though I am taking kickbacks from Tim Burrowes, but I urge all readers to check out Mumbrella if they haven’t already.

Since leaving B&T and launching his new site, Tim has really taken the lead in Australian media and marketing news online. Every day there is breaking news, insightful opinion and robust debate. Best of all, Tim is not afraid to say what he thinks.

Recent controversies such as the Qld Tourism campaign and Naked’s viral coat have received great coverage and debate.

Mumbrella’s content covers all traditional media, digital and online, ad campaigns, awards conferences and more. It doesn’t just refer to the usual suspects of Aussie media and marketing and allows everyone to participate. Its a wonderful example of journalism converging with new media.

Add Mumbrella to your RSS feeds today.

(Tim, I will send account details for those kickbacks)

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Former 2HD drive announcer Richard King has responded to his recent abrupt axing from the station with a letter published in today’s Newcastle Herald.

Apparently upset with some of the comments made to media by station manager Guy Ashford, King felt obliged to set the story straight:

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Yesterday Australian social media strategist and blogger Laurel Papworth created a “flame war” online when she singled out the English speaking world’s number one marketing blogger Seth Godin for not publishing comments on his site.

Seth Godin, for the benefit of the rare few who haven’t heard of him, is a longtime blogger, web company founder and author of over a dozen books who has helped popularize Web 2.0 marketing styles via his innovative thinking and writing.

Laurel Papworth’s issue with Godin is primarily that he doesn’t allow or publish comments on his phenomenally popular blog. She claims “No Comments? Not a blog!” Then says:

Please remove Seth Godin from the Advertising Age Power 150 top spot? It’s not really a blog if there’s no comments and it’s also not playing fairly.

Not really a blog? Not playing fairly? Does that mean there are now rules we have to follow?

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A few weeks ago I posted Why My Kids Will be the Death of Traditional Media. Only today we were explaining why to a few clients so they could understand our enthusiasm for new media options and alternative marketing thinking.

Seems that the funeral march may have already started with Gen Y consumers according to uber Gen Y blogger and media observer Zac Martin.

This week Zac has rather eloquently posted his Gen Y media  consumption habits. Media producers and advertisers take note.

Zac’s post has generated plenty of comments and discussion. Not all agree with him. Nor do I advocate abandoning traditional media channels when trying to reach Gen Y or their kid sisters and brothers. But the point is, where there’s smoke there’s fire. A massive transition has commenced from the dominance of Boomer media to the imminent predominance of Gen Y (and beyond) media.

Your marketing mix must start including alternatives to the traditional media channels because they are loosing relevance.

16 Jan: Follow-up

I asked Zac how we advertisers and marketers should reach Gen Y consumers who don’t use traditional media. He didn’t have an immediate answer to this obviously crucial dilemna but he did point me to a light-hearted set of potential online business models to consider. Zac also said he has some more suggestions coming. Stay tuned.

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Following Media Hunter’s post earlier this week on the departures of Richard King and Don Mayo from 2HD & NEWFM, The Herald in Newcastle have run a story today on the station’s changes.

Interestingly, station manager Guy Ashford claims that the axing of King’s drive show was to do with ratings and not cost-cutting. If that’s the case, will they axe Talkin’ Sport if it doesn’t perform within a few surveys? Or does that mean the NEWFM breakfast show is under threat due to its poor ratings performance in the last survey of 2008?

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Its been a while since I have looked at the AdAge rankings. Since it launched around 18 months ago, the AdAge Power 150 has been one of the best lists of marketing and media bloggers in the world. It has introduced me to some great online talent and been the source of some sensational information. In short, you could do worse than spend a little time getting acquainted with some of the names on this list.

What has been noticeable to me is the number of Australian based blogs that have clawed their way up the Power 150 in the last year. Considering the size of Australia (22 million) and geographic distance from the rest of the world, Australian bloggers have managed to be noticed in numbers. I guess that’s the beauty of the internet and the way social media makes networking and communication so easy.

So I thought I would take the time to introduce you to the Aussies making blogging waves around the world as per their current AdAge 150 Rank. These rankings change weekly so the numbers might be different when you check, but the quality speaks for itself.

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The Newcastle media rumour-mill suggests that Gavin Morris will be joining NBN Newcastle’s nightly news as weather reporter following the departure of Garry Youngberry.

Youngberry filed his last weather report for NBN last Friday before heading north to join Nine Brisbane’s news team.

Gavin Morris is an ex-Newcastle radio announcer who is currently working at the Weather Channel on Foxtel. He has been hosting on ground entertainment for Newcastle Knights home games for several years.

Update: 23 January 2009. It was confirmed today that Gavin Morris will be the new weather presenter on NBN.

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